Speakers at Sept. 22 toll-road hearing must apply ahead

Aug. 25, 2008

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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FROM ABOVE An aerial photo shows the area where the proposed Foothill South toll road would be built. Trestles Beach can be seen at left, San Clemente to the north, camp Pendleton to the right. San Mateo Creek and the San Onofre State Beach park JEBB HARRIS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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TRAIL TIME A supervising state parks ranger, Doug Harding, takes a stroll down the Ancestors Trail in San Onofre State Beach park. PAUL BERSEBACH, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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TRESTLES The fames surfing beach is at the heart of activists' objections to the proposed Foothill South toll road, although toll road builders say the road will not harm the beach. JEBB HARRIS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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CREEK, CAMPGROUND Aerial view shows San Mateo Creek, and, at right center, the San Onofre State Beach campground. The proposed toll road would cross the creek, and opponents believe it would destroy the atmosphere of the campground. JEBB HARRIS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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FOCUS ON TRESTLES Many toll road opponents fear that the proposed Foothill South would harm surfing at the famed Trestles Beach. Toll agency officials say there will be no affect on the beach from construction or use of the road. THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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PROTEST Activists raised signs, and voices, at a marathon public hearing on the proposed toll road before the state Coastal Commission in February. THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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CREEK, CAMPGROUND Aerial view shows San Mateo Creek, and, at right center, the San Onofre State Beach campground. The proposed toll road would cross the creek, and opponents believe it would destroy the atmosphere of the campground. JEBB HARRIS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

FROM ABOVE An aerial photo shows the area where the proposed Foothill South toll road would be built. Trestles Beach can be seen at left, San Clemente to the north, camp Pendleton to the right. San Mateo Creek and the San Onofre State Beach park JEBB HARRIS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Hearing details

The hearing, in O'Brien Hall at the fairgrounds, will go from 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Written requests to speak should be sent to Thomas Street, Attorney Advisor, NOAA Office of General Counsel for Ocean Services, 1305 East-West Highway, Room 6111, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

Federal officials will hold a public hearing on the proposed Foothill South toll road Sept. 22 in Del Mar, although people wishing to speak must submit a written request 10 days earlier to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.The hearing, to be held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, had been scheduled for the UC Irvine’s Bren Events Center in July. But that hearing was canceled amid fears that the crowd could grow too large for the facility.The 16-mile Foothill South, a proposed extension of the 241 toll road, would cut through San Onofre State Beach park and across wild land in southern Orange County.Toll road builders say it is the last link in the county’s network of toll roads, and is needed to relieve future traffic congestion.Opponents, including environmental groups, say the road would take too great a toll on wildlife and natural habitat and shatter the atmosphere of a popular campground.They also worry that sediment from construction of the road could harm the famed Trestles surfing beach, although the tollway agency says there will be no effects on surf.“We’re glad that this hearing is taking place,” said Elizabeth Goldstein, president of the California State Parks Foundation which belongs to a coalition of 11 groups opposed to the toll road. “We’ve been concerned there wasn’t going to be a public hearing.”The Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency released a statement Monday saying officials there had been “anxiously” anticipating the hearing so that they can correct “distortion and misinformation.”“The truth is that the completion of the 241 Toll Road is a critically needed route for the state’s economy, the public’s mobility and safety, and the quality of life that we all enjoy in Southern California,” the statement said.After a marathon public hearing in February that drew thousands - also at the Del Mar Fairgrounds - the state Coastal Commission rejected the project, saying it would violate the state Coastal Act.But the toll road agency appealed the commission’s ruling under the federal Coastal Zone Management Act.The decision now rests with the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, and the hearing will be held by NOAA, a branch of Commerce. If the secretary finds that the road is in the national interest or needed for national security, it can override the state commission’s decision.The toll agency has argued that both findings would be justified. National security will be affected, they say, in part because the agency will redesign a road near Camp Pendleton Marine base along with one of its entrances.Requiring people to file a request 10 days in advance to speak is an attempt to “try to establish an orderly process,” said NOAA spokesman Anson Franklin.The agency won’t accept requests by email, fax or phone.And not all requests will be granted. The agency will sort through them to choose a representative sampling of different viewpoints, he said.“We’re trying to ensure some balance in the type of comments - not in the substance of the comments,” he said.Signs and banners will be “discouraged,” the agency said, with no signs allowed larger than 13 inches by 24 inches.Written comments can be dropped off at the hearing itself. Written comments also can be submitted to the agency between Aug. 27 and Oct. 2.NOAA general counsel Jane Luxton will be the only federal official presiding over the hearing, and will not answer questions or make any decisions in the case.The deadline for the Commerce Secretary’s decision is Dec. 22.

HEARING DETAILSThe hearing, in O’Brien Hall at the fairgrounds, will go from 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Written requests to speak should be sent to Thomas Street, Attorney Advisor, NOAA Office of General Counsel for Ocean Services, 1305 East-West Highway, Room 6111, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

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